Port Hope High School’s Sydney Watson is set to compete at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) provincial badminton championships in her hometown this weekend.
She will have family and friends at Trinity College School in Port Hope to support her quest for another OFSAA medal: she captured the antique bronze for a fourth-place finish in girls’ singles in 2022.
One special individual will be missing in the gymnasium, but not from her thoughts: Watson’s former coach Jolyon Thompson died suddenly in February. Thompson was a gold-medal winning competitor, coach, nationally-accredited referee and Badminton Ontario award winner.
“It’s hard when badminton is like my escape for anything that stresses me out or to get my mind off things. So when the person that I see all the time to practice that sport with is also not there, it’s definitely hard so going into the tournament; I’m definitely thinking a lot about him and dedicating every game to him,” Watson, who recently won her Central Ontario Secondary School Athletics championship, said.
“While I’m playing, I’m definitely going to be thinking about things he would say to me in every game, making sure I’m taking my time on my serves and keeping things positive,” she said.
Watson has stenciled the initials "JT" and a heart on her racket for the OFSAA competition in tribute to coach Thompson.
“Jolyon was so positive and enthusiastic and he was supportive in everything whether it was academics, athletics, your future goals,” she said. “He was someone I was extremely comfortable with and I deeply admired. I really looked up to him and I fed off of his own love for the sport and it really made me more excited and determined to play and be the best I can. I really thank him for all the opportunities he had opened up for me.”
Since Thompson’s passing, Watson is now being coached by Adam Wilson. He has worked with her in the past and also was formerly coached by Thompson.
Wilson anticipates Watson, with her speed and strength, will be in medal contention again this year at OFSAA.
OFSAA badminton runs from Thursday through Saturday at TCS in Port Hope.
Hear the full interview with Sydney Watson here: